With all the talk about wind turbine training and joining the ranks of management and engineering teams offered by hundreds of wind turbine companies, one doesn’t hear very much regarding the maintenance end of the huge 100 foot tall towers once they are in action. These massive 27 story wind turbine towers may appear serene from a distance but when you get up close, the monstrous barrage of steel can make you feel very, very small.
On a wind farm, the mechanics of keeping a wind turbine functioning properly is no easy feat and not for one with a fear of heights. If the wind is blowing at 10 miles per hour, it is easy to assume that the higher you climb, the windier it gets. Swaying back and forth like a ship on a turbulent sea, the steel column floats freely in the wind, along with your ladder, as you climb to the chamber.
Just when you think that the ride is over, you are greeted by a room that houses the equipment that needs maintaining. The size of a small bus that is jam-packed full of motors, gears, a generator and electrical panels and smelling of grease, a little door is fitted along the bottom so you can wriggle inside. A typical turbine contains 8,000 parts that are capable of generating 3 megawatts of electricity. Imagine stepping into a high-voltage room while it rocks back and forth.
A wind training course that can deliver a certified wind technician usually has a base pay of $18.00 per hour, the promise of promotion into management and lots of steady overtime. Earning six figures within a few years is not unheard of. Is your seasickness beginning to fade? There are one year certification programs and two year associate degree programs with many schools just beginning to open up. With the number of companies in need of certified wind technicians, chances are you will be working before graduation.
This is by far, a field that uses mostly men that are physically fit. Being cramped in a fiberglass container for hours that is boiling in the summer and freezing in the winter takes a lot of stamina to concentrate on the task at hand. Someone with a military background, a past firefighter, a pilot or some other type of athletic position, would be ideal for this job. An experienced wind technician can climb the windmill’s ladder in approximately five minutes and still have his arms burning from the journey as he reaches the top.
Students attending wind training classes were recently asked if they were having second thoughts about the reality of the situation. Not one young man saw their dream as anything but exciting and challenging. Some even compared the thrill to skydiving. There are schools opening up all over the country today that offer as little or as much education as you want in the area of maintenance. There are many other jobs in the wind industry where you can keep your feet on the ground but if you are in it for the excitement and the money, consider a career as a Wind Farm Caretaker.
Boots on the Roof, a leading Renewable Energy training institute, is enrolling students into its Wind Turbine Training classes. For more information on qualifications, Training Dates and Locations, click here.
The Importance of Wind Energy Training
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hi, Im very interesting in wind power, I live in Ontario, Canada and I’m wondering if there are any schools around to take up this as a carreer. If you could send me some more information that would be great thanks!